Positano for 5 days - help!!
 

Will be in Positano for first time next week. Would like to see Pompei,vesuvius,paestrum, taste cheese, ravello. Will also be spending 2 nights in Capri. Can anyone help with a suggestion of how to best tackle our sites - would like to hire a guide / driver for a day and not sure of the best itinerary! Many thanks! Any thoughts as to what are must sees in Capri for 2 days?!

Nothing like last-minute planning.

A guide/driver for one day will not be enough time to cover Pompeii, Vesuvius, Paestum and Ravello. If you've got money to burn, you could use a driver for two days: one day to go to Pompeii and Vesuvius and the second day to go to Ravello, Paestum and wherever for the cheese tasting. But all of these destinations can be reached using public transportation (although Vesuvius is time-consuming this way).

I suggest you do a search here for the many threads discussing sights on Capri. Or look at these websites:

http://www.capritourism.com/en/home

http://www.capri.com/

I agree that you need a driver for at least two days. One to see Pompeii and Vesuvius, and one to go in the opposite direction to Paestum (sp??). I would recommend going to Pompeii in the mid to late afternoon, so that you can avoid the hottest hours of the day. You can also check to find out if night tours of Pompeii are still available. We did this a few years ago, and it was quite enjoyable, much more comfortable temperature-wise.

A driver I'd recommend who we've used many times is Giovanni Gargiulo of Tourofitaly.com. He's based in Sorrento. Wonderful, reliable, and very funny! There are other drivers often recommended on this site, too, so just check previous posts.

Ravello is simply a day trip from Positano. You can take a boat at the dock in Positano to Amalfi, then grab a cab for the short trip inland to Ravello. There's also a SITA (public) bus to Amalfi, but it is often crowded in the summer months.

In Capri, as touristy as it is, I'd highly recommend a trip to the Blue Grotto. We took a private four hour boat cruise with a captain we hired down at the dock, and really enjoyed it. You have to switch into a smaller boat at the entrance of the grotto because it's so narrow, but once you're inside, it's a beautiful place, esp. when the oarsmen start singing and their voices echo all around the walls. We loved it!

Also loved a tiny restaurant down at Marina Grande (where the boats come in) called LO ZODIACO, where we had amazing pastas and pizza all served in gleaming copper pans. I'm not sure if it's still there ( this was three years ago) or if it's still as good, but we still talk about it!!

Oh, and I almost forgot... Don't miss a lunch or dinner in Montepertuso, a small mountain village just above Positano. Your hotel can make the arrangements for your transfers there. There are several excellent restaurants in town. We especially enjoyed IL RITROVO.

Have a great time!

Many thanks. So it seems a driver to Paestrum and south it in the cards. Is it easy to do Pompei and Vesuvius from train based out of Positano? I asked because my wife is pregnant so much running around may not be the best for her... any other must sees!?

Hi murrab00
the train to Pompeii (the Circumsuviana) is based from Sorrento, not Positano. If you are staying in Positano, you'll need to catch the SITA bus and connect to the train to Pompeii. You can save some time by connecting at the META stop (closer to Pompeii) rather than waiting for Sorrento at the end of the line.

Alternatively, you can go by ferry or hydrofoil from Positano to Sorrento, then take a bus up to hill from the Marina to get to the Circumsuviana station in Sorrento.

Well, there's Herculaneum as well as Pompeii. Some people like it better, but it's smaller and less comprehensive than Pompeii.

I'd skip Vesuvius. Why do people want to go there? It's just a hole in a pile of dirt. On the other hand, maybe having been to Mt. St. Helens and Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park, I'm overly picky about my volcanoes.

With a pregnant wife, I'd also skip Vesuvius. And just how pregnant is she? Pompeii on a hot summer day can be difficult for anyone. It involves a lot of walking out in the open. So, wear good walking shoes and be sure to take water with you. An umbrella or parasol might help her handle the intense sun.

Positano daytime temps in the mid- to upper-80s F predicted through July 4.